JOHN AHERN of Indaver Ireland, (Irish Examiner
Letters, November 11) would like us to believe that all is well. His
job is to sell incinerators and make huge profits for his overseas
shareholders.

Indaver did apply for an import licence to bring
waste into the country. If they build, the Government, under EU law,
will not be able to stop them importing waste to burn. The companies
which take our waste do so because it makes them huge profits.

We want a moratorium on incineration until we
have exhausted safer, better technologies.

Ireland has one of the lowest recycling rates
in Europe.

The by-products of incineration - particulate
matter, heavy metals such as mercury and arsenic, and dioxins which
are known carcinogens - cause major health problems.

Indaver in Belgium was 1,800 times over their
EU limits in 2002. Belgium has the highest levels of dioxins in Europe.
In 2000 the Belgian poultry industry was closed down as a result of
contamination by dioxins and it cost the country tens of millions
of euro.

No pharmaceutical or chemical company supported
Indaver’s application. Twenty-four different groups, 30,000
people, and Cork county council opposed it.

Mr Ahern has dismissed concerns, stating that
An Bord Pleanála, the Health & Safety Authority (HSA) and
the EPA all believe that the site is appropriate. But site selection
does not come under the remit of either the HSA or the EPA.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) sets out
14 criteria for site selection which are designed to reduce the threat
to public safety. This site failed on 13 out of the 14 criteria. One
of the criteria was flooding. This site was under several feet of
salt water recently - proof that it fails under WHO site selection
criteria.

An Bord Pleanála’s senior inspector
expressed concern about site suitability.

He stated: “There is some reason to believe...
that the location of Ringaskiddy, and possibly subject site itself,
had already been chosen before the applicants even became aware of
the WHO guidelines.”

He concluded that the site was “fundamentally
unsuitable” and said it was contrary to national and county
policy, and a risk to public safety.

An Bord Pleanála, which is made up of
political appointees, chose to ignore the inspector’s advice.